Klarinet Archive - Posting 000355.txt from 2002/04

From: Karl Krelove <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Mouthpiece mystery
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 18:33:37 -0400

Several points come up in your post.

First, it isn't terribly important that the reed tip and mouthpiece tip are
shaped exactly the same. I don't want to say categorically it makes *no*
difference, just not one I've ever found noticeable. I wouldn't chuck a
mouthpiece if I liked its playing characteristics because the reed and tip
rail don't match.

When you say mouthpieces "look" the same, are you simply eyeballing it? The
measurements are made in thousandths of an inch or hundredths of a
millimeter. You won't likely see even major differences without some simple
but precise tools.

That two mouthpieces don't play with equal ease using the same reed is not
at all unusual and says nothing about either mouthpiece except that one
requires a different reed from the other. You would need to try a variety of
reed strengths with each mouthpiece to find the optimal sound and response
of each.

One example of a given mouthpiece line can easily be faulty. Sample
variation among mouthpieces of the same brand and model line can be
notoriously wide. So, without trying several, you can't be sure if the
squeaks are because of the mouthpiece design (or its incompatibility with
the reed you've selected) or a flaw in the one you have.

It ain't as easy as it looks.

Karl Krelove

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Alguire [mailto:jalguire@-----.net]
> Sent: Friday, April 12, 2002 2:22 PM
> To: Klarinet List
> Subject: [kl] Mouthpiece mystery
>
>
> Sometime earlier this year there was a post that said, in effect, 'forget
> the search for a perfect mouthpiece until you can play well enough to tell
> the difference.' Ah, I should have listened.
>
> I have a very nice Evette & Schaeffer I had my local music shop go through
> as a Christmas present. I just had an excellent technician fix what the
> local shop did, but that's another story. Since my mouthpiece was old and
> not in very good shape, I purchased a very nice Buffet mouthpiece
> on E-bay.
> It is working just fine.
>
> Then I got to noticing that the radius of the tip was just a hair larger
> than the radius of my reeds (I was using Rico and now I am using Vandoren
> traditional). This appeared to be the case for the several other
> mouthpieces
> I have. Since I was playing Vandoren reeds, I decided to purchase
> a Vandoren
> mouthpiece (B45) and give it a try. Interestingly, the B45 radius
> also seems
> a little larger than that of the reed.
>
> I don't have the tools or enough hands to really measure the differences
> between these mouthpieces, but the tip opening on the Buffet is
> just a hair
> more open than the B45 and the facing 'looks' the same. The windway in the
> facing also look the same, but I would swear the B45 flares out
> more at the
> tip although they measure the same.
>
> Well, here is my frustration. I can play a passage perfectly with the
> Buffet, but when I use the same reed and ligature on the B45, I can get
> nothing but squeaks. I can't help but feel I am missing something
> here, but
> I can't quite pin it down.
>
> Well, I don't see a question in there anywhere, but thanks for
> letting me do
> a little venting.
>
> Jim Alguire
> J A Design Studio
> Ketchikan, Alaska
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>

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